Take a step back in time with a classic holiday treat! Soft and chewy, thick, and warmly-spiced, these old-fashioned gingerbread cookies (or ginger cakes), have been a Colonial Williamsburg favorite for generations.
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If you’re looking for even more old-fashioned recipes from Colonial Williamsburg, be sure to try the King’s Arms Tavern peanut soup and the queen’s cake from the Raleigh Tavern Bakery, too!
These were so fun to make and delicious! Tasted just like the Williamsburg bakery cookies! Wish I could post a pic! Thank you!!
– Stacy
How to Make Old Fashioned Ginger Cookies | 1-Minute Video
As a life-long Virginian, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Williamsburg, and it’s still one of my absolute favorite parts of our state. If you want a real treat, visit Colonial Williamsburg during the holidays — it’s a truly magical place!
What to Know Before You Get Started
- The taste and texture of the Raleigh Tavern gingerbread cakes are truly unique. They’re warmly spiced with a strong molasses flavor, but they’re not overly sweet and the texture is a perfect cross between a cookie and a cake. They’re soft (not crispy like some gingerbread cookies), and they’re thick, chewy, and “cakey.”
- While there is plenty of molasses flavor in this cookie recipe, the spices are mild. These are not “spicy” cookies. Instead, they contain just very subtle notes of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. If you prefer a stronger flavor, you can increase the ginger to 1 tablespoon, add ½ teaspoon of cloves, and ¼ teaspoon of allspice — the cookies just won’t taste quite like the authentic Williamsburg gingerbread.
- With a few tweaks, you can use this recipe to cut out soft gingerbread man cookies.
How to Make this Traditional Gingerbread Recipe
I did some research online and ultimately adapted the Raleigh Tavern Bakery’s original recipe, so you know these authentic cookies are the “real deal.” The end result instantly sends me back to my childhood!
- Whisk together sugar, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Add softened butter, evaporated milk, and molasses. Start on low speed with an electric mixer, and then gradually increase to medium speed or medium-high speed until the dry ingredients are creamed together with the butter.
- Gradually mix in the flour until a stiff dough forms.
- Roll out the dough on a well floured surface with a floured rolling pin (there’s no need to chill the dough first!). Don’t be shy with the flour. Keep your work surface very well floured to prevent the dough from sticking to the board when rolling and cutting. It’s also helpful to flour the cookie cutter before each use. Roll the dough thicker than other typical cut-out cookies. I like about ½-inch thick dough, which yields thick, soft, chewy cookies (rather than thin, crispy cookies).
- Cut into shapes and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats. I use a round biscuit cutter that measures 2 ½ inches in diameter to make large cookies — just like you find at the Raleigh Tavern Bakery. Re-roll the dough scraps as many times as necessary in order to use all of the dough.
- Bake in a 375°F preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake the cookies or they will become hard and crisp. To maintain the soft, chewy, cake-like texture, remove them from the oven while they’re still soft. Cool on a wire rack, then package to store or enjoy immediately! They’re delicious with a mug of homemade hot chocolate!
Storage Tips
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
To bake the cookies in advance, allow them to cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter at room temperature.
These cookies turned out fantastic! They will be a new holiday tradition for our family. They are super easy and fast to make and truly do taste like old fashioned gingerbread that you remember from childhood.
– Pat
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Watch How to Make It
Williamsburg Old Fashioned Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened at room temperature
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup molasses (I use Grandma's brand)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (plus additional 1 -1 ½ cups of flour, as needed, to form a workable dough)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
- Add softened butter, evaporated milk, and molasses. With an electric mixer, start on the lowest speed so that the liquid doesn’t splash out of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed until the butter and sugar are creamed together and completely smooth.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add 4 cups of flour (one cup at a time), mixing until the flour is incorporated.
- The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to your fingers, so if it’s still too wet and sticky, add additional flour (½ cup at a time), just until a fairly stiff dough comes together.
- When the dough is smooth, roll it out to ½-inch thickness on a very well-floured surface.
- Use a 2 ½-inch round biscuit cutter (or other cookie cutter) to cut the dough into round shapes. Continue to add as much flour as necessary to the dough, the rolling pin, and the cookie cutters to prevent the dough from sticking. Place shapes onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden brown but still soft. Make sure that you don't bake them for too long or they will become hard and crispy. To maintain the soft, chewy, cake-like texture, pull them out of the often while they're still soft and let them firm up slightly while they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The classic Williamsburg gingerbread cakes are large, round cookies without any icing or other decorations. That said, the thick, chewy cookies do make a great base for traditional Christmas frostings and decorations! If you (or your kids) prefer soft gingerbread cookies with icing, then I suggest preparing a batch of royal icing and getting creative!
- Recipe adapted from MakingHistoryNow.com
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2017. It was updated in November, 2024.
Would gluten free flour work instead of flour?
Hi, Jan! I honestly don’t know, since I’ve never baked with gluten-free flour. I imagine that if you have an all-purpose gluten-free flour, the cookies would probably work fine! 🙂
I live in the area and actually used to teach in Williamsburg. The cookies are a definite part of any Williamsburg trip. In recent years, they seem to have changed the recipe for the ginger cakes. They are drier it seems to me. Just not the same. I made yours and they are just like the original ones. Perfect! Thanks!
That’s wonderful, Linda! I’m so glad that this recipe reminds you of the originals. 🙂 I didn’t realize that the recipe might have changed in recent years. Thanks for your kind words!
These are the best cookies ever… the compliments i get about these..MY GO TO GINGER BREAD MEN…
Aw, thank you, Mandy! I totally agree. Always a hit! 🙂
I made them today but it’s a Christmas tradition and I use the Raleigh tavern recipe and really like adding the vanilla and lemon extracts and sometimes the lemon zest as well . I grew up in va and have been Williamsburg many times and always go get a gingerbread at Raleigh tavern bake shop . It’s changed some over the years but the taste always takes me back .
Hello to a fellow Virginian, Tony! I’m sure the lemon is a delicious addition! Merry Christmas! 🙂
Just made these today because I was craving a soft, thick, cake-like gingerbread cookie. I did add the extra spice and these came out perfectly with the texture and taste I was craving. I really appreciate all the tips and the option to make them “spicier”. I will definitely be making these again and again! Also may try the gingerbread men next time! Thanks so much for this.
Wonderful! Thanks for your note, Laura! I’m so glad that they worked well for you and satisfied that craving. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
My 87-year-old dad has been talking about how much he loved the “ginger cake cookies” he once had during a visit to Williamsburg. I’ve tried several recipes for him through the years. Though he said they were all very tasty, none were just like the cookies he remembered… until now! I made him a batch of these and his eyes lit up… love at first bite! I was so happy that I was finally able to give him the cookies he so fondly spoke of for all of those years. Thanks SO much for this recipe… you made his Christmas! God bless!
This is one of the happiest notes I’ve read in a long time! Thanks, Jeanie! I’m so glad to know that the cookies brought your dad a little bit of holiday cheer. Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know!
Oh my gosh! I am so excited to find this recipe! I have talked about these cookies since my 5th grade field trip but I could never remember the name of the place where we got them!! I am 32!! – this just popped up on my Pinterest feed and I am rushing out for condensed milk and molasses! So excited, I’ve never had a cookie like this since then.
That’s wonderful, Terrin! Enjoy! 🙂
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Thank you for letting me know, Susanne! I’m not sure why it wasn’t working. I just tested it again and it seems fine. I’ll have others take a look, though!
These cookies taste amazing and are so easy to use with cookie cutters! I always roll them a little too thin because I make them into Christmas cookies, but this time I am going to try and roll them to 1/2 inch rounds like you suggest, to get the authentic Williamsburg look and texture. Thank you for this recipe! Brings back great memories of getting these warm out of the oven at the Williamsburg bakery.
Thank you, Veronica! I’m so glad that you love them!
Hi Blair,
I was wondering about the molasses. Dark Brer Rabbit? Blackstrap? Our family considers King Syrup molasses (it really confused a friend who I shared a Recipe for Vanilla pie with…I meant King and she bought Black strap)
Thank you, I’ll wait to hear back but I can’t wait to try these
Merry Christmas,
Deb
Hi, Deb! I always use Grandma’s brand molasses, which is unsulfured, sun-ripened sugarcane molasses. Here’s a link to their page: https://grandmasmolasses.com/product/original-molasses/
Basically, any regular unsulfured molasses will work. I’m not familiar with the King Syrup brand, but you definitely don’t want to use black strap molasses in this recipe.
Hope you enjoy!
Why don’t you want to use black strap molasses in this recipe?
Hi, Paula! Blackstrap molasses has a very different consistency and a very different taste than regular unsulfured molasses, so it doesn’t act the same in baking. Blackstrap molasses is not nearly as sweet (about 45% sugar as opposed to 70% sugar of regular molasses), it’s much saltier than regular molasses, and it has a much more bitter taste. Blackstrap molasses is also much thicker than regular molasses, and has a lower moisture content. As a result, the texture and flavor of the cookies will be very different if you use blackstrap molasses.
I am going to have to try your recipe. I was just in Williamsburg over the weekend and bought six to bring home. My daughter and I did eat one in the car because it was fresh and hot. Love those cakes.
That’s awesome! Williamsburg is so pretty at this time of year. Hope you enjoy the homemade version, too! 🙂
I have been looking for this recipe for over 30 years! While searching online this week again, I finally realized I had never used Williamsburg in ky search! I am so happy to find this recipe! I visited Williamsburg often as a child. I live in Montana, Williamsburg is a place I would live to see again
Yay! I hope that the cookies bring back great memories, Vicki!
Blaire, We are heading to Williamsburg soon. Remembered your post about the ginger cookies. We are planning on a trip to the Tavern to get some. Is there anything off the beaten path that you recommend we see, do or eat while visiting Williamsburg? Thank you!
Sallie
That’s so fun, Sallie! We’ll be there in November for my son’s soccer tournament, and I’m already looking forward to the ginger cookies! 🙂
I don’t have too many recommendations outside the norm. It’s fun to make dinner reservations at one of the taverns in the historic part, if you can. We also enjoyed Jamestown when we did that with the kids a few years ago. The “college delly” is a popular local spot with the students, and a good place to grab lunch. We also like to pick up sandwiches at the Cheese Shop, which is right on the main street in the historic section. There’s a candy store next door that the boys love. For dinner, if you don’t go to one of the historic taverns, The Trellis is another good option (although maybe it has closed now?!).
If you have history buffs in your family, they might enjoy a visit to Yorktown battlefield. My kids liked walking around there when we took them a couple of years ago.
Hope you have a wonderful trip!
Doesn’t say how much of each ingredient
Hi, David! The ingredient measurements are included in the full recipe card at the bottom of the post.
I have been looking for this recipe for over 30 years! While searching online this week again, I finally realized I had never used Williamsburg in ky search! I am so happy to find this recipe! I visited Williamsburg often as a child. I live in Montana, Williamsburg is a place I would live to see again
Made these yesterday and they are perfection! I halved the recipe and it still made plenty.
Thank you, Sarah!
I don’t think I will ever make anything different; these cookies are amazing!
Thank you, Debra!
Have you ever tried sorghum in place of the molassas in this recipe. My grandma used to make a cookie that was a similar consistency and I’ve never been able to duplicate it. Even with using her recipe.
Hi, Amy! I haven’t tried that substitute with this recipe. I think it would work, but you’ll just need to make a few adjustments. According to this guide, you can use the same amount of sorghum (so 1 cup), but you’ll want to reduce the amount of sugar to 2/3 cup since sorghum is sweeter than molasses. Sorghum also has a thinner consistency than molasses and a slightly different flavor, so just keep in mind that the cookies will have a slightly different taste and texture. Let me know if you give it a try!
These cookies were devine!! Will be the recipe I use every year at Christmas!! I made the recipe traditionally cutting in circles and also stamped and glazed some of the cookies to add a bit of specialness but they are really perfect as the recipe is traditionally.
Wonderful! Thank you, Rebecca!
Love this recipe! I definitely recommend doubling the spices and adding about 1/4th teaspoon cloves and 1/4th tsp allspice. After that, they taste exactly like the ones I used to get in Williamsburg (before they switched to packaged)! Also make sure to not overcook if you want them to be the same texture.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Sarah! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Love these
Thank you, Morganne!
These are my go to everyone loves these cookies when I make them..I do them as ginger bread men
So fun! We’re happy to hear they’re a hit and appreciate you sharing, Manda!